The Church of Ireland House of Bishops will meet in Dublin on April 17 to elect a bishop for the Diocese of Connor.

The decision on this appointment passed to the House of Bishops after the failure of the Episcopal Electoral College to make an appointment at its meeting at the end of March.

An Electoral College of the Church of Ireland had met previously in Armagh to elect the new Bishop of Connor to succeed the new Archbishop of Armagh, the Most Rev Alan Harper.

Archbishop Harper was elevated to his new role as Primate of the Church of Ireland last month.

In his Easter message, Archbishop Harper expressed his hope for a new beginning in Ireland after the recent historic power-sharing agreement between the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein.

"The Easter message of the triumph of life over death and hope over despair is reinforced for all of us in Ireland this year," he said.

"We may not have put behind us all of the legacy of a troubled past, but so much has happened that promises new beginnings and a future liberated from the chains of the past, that we are surely right to celebrate with additional joy and conviction."